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Palestinian Official: Washington Didn’t Object to Abbas’s Peace Plan

A graffiti mural on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem, West Bank, of the late George Floyd who was killed by a white policeman in Minneapolis, USA, in May 2020. (AP)
A graffiti mural on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem, West Bank, of the late George Floyd who was killed by a white policeman in Minneapolis, USA, in May 2020. (AP)
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Palestinian Official: Washington Didn’t Object to Abbas’s Peace Plan

A graffiti mural on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem, West Bank, of the late George Floyd who was killed by a white policeman in Minneapolis, USA, in May 2020. (AP)
A graffiti mural on the Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem, West Bank, of the late George Floyd who was killed by a white policeman in Minneapolis, USA, in May 2020. (AP)

Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al-Ahmad said Saturday that the US administration has begun to move from the stage of rhetoric to action.

Ahmad, who is also a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Committee, also affirmed that Washington did not object to the peace plan presented by President Mahmoud Abbas, which is based on holding an international peace conference.

In statements broadcast by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation (PBC), Ahmad said the US-Palestinian political contacts are expected to develop soon.

His remarks came only a few days after US President Joe Biden decided to resume financial aid to the Palestinians cut off by then-President Donald Trump.

The step indicates a major change in the new administration’s approach in addressing the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It is part of the administration’s “step-by-step” policy taken to restore relations with the Palestinian Authority (PA).

According to Ahmad, restoring financial aid represented an implementation on the ground of the new US political stance.

Biden’s promise to press for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its restored aid to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) indicate clear humanitarian and political approaches, Ahmad said.

He further hailed the US administration for affirming its commitment to the two-state solution, noting that although contacts between the Palestinians and the Biden administration have resumed, but Palestinians expect these contacts to reach higher levels soon.

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Clerics Accuse West Bank Israeli Settlers of Attacking Christian Sites

Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa walks during the visit of the town of Taybeh, a Christian village in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank, following settler attacks, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa walks during the visit of the town of Taybeh, a Christian village in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank, following settler attacks, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
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Clerics Accuse West Bank Israeli Settlers of Attacking Christian Sites

Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa walks during the visit of the town of Taybeh, a Christian village in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank, following settler attacks, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)
Latin Patriarch in Jerusalem Pierbattista Pizzaballa walks during the visit of the town of Taybeh, a Christian village in the Israeli-Occupied West Bank, following settler attacks, July 14, 2025. (Reuters)

Christian leaders accused Israeli settlers on Monday of attacking sacred sites in the West Bank, in violence that one said was forcing some to consider quitting the occupied territory.

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III - visiting the Christian town of Taybeh with other Jerusalem-based clerics - said settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th century church there last week.

"These actions are a direct and intentional threat to our local community ... but also to the historic and religious heritage," the patriarch told diplomats and journalists at a press conference in Taybeh.

Settlers had also attacked homes in the area, he said.

"We call for an immediate and transparent investigation on why the Israeli police did not respond to emergency calls from the local community and why these abhorrent actions continue to go unpunished," he added.

Israel's government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Israel's government had previously said that any acts of violence by civilians are unacceptable and that individuals should not take the law into their own hands.

During the visit, the heads of the churches led locals in prayer as candles flickered in the ruins of the 5th century church of St George. They spoke with residents who described their fears.

B'Tselem and other rights groups say settler violence in the West Bank has risen since the start of Israel's war against Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza in late 2023.

Dozens of Israelis have also been killed in Palestinian street attacks in recent years and the Israeli military has intensified raids across the West Bank.

Palestinian health authorities and witnesses said two men, including a US citizen, were killed by settlers during a confrontation on Friday night.

Fears over violence were pushing Christians to leave the West Bank, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Roman Catholic Patriarch of Jerusalem since 2020, said.

"Unfortunately, the temptation to emigrate is there because of the situation," he added. "This time it's very difficult to see how and when this will finish, and especially for the youth to talk about hope, trust for the future."

Around 50,000 Christian Palestinians live in Jerusalem and in the West Bank, an area that includes many of the faith's most sacred sites including Bethlehem where believers say Jesus was born.

Around 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 2.7 million Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured from Jordan in the 1967 war, which Palestinians see as part of a future state.